Gwent and Powys Army Cadet Force (ACF) swapped weapon handling skills for public speaking after two teams were challenged to a debating contest.
Young cadets gathered at Vauxhall Barracks in Monmouth, home of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), for a night of political debate on Friday 17 November.
They debated topics including Brexit, National Service and whether violent video games can have a damaging effect on children.
Local MP David Davies chaired the event as part of UK Parliament Week - an annual festival that engages people from across the UK with Parliament, explores what democracy means to them and empowers them to get involved.
He was joined on the judging panel by Monmouth’s Mayor Cllr Felicity Cotton and Cllr Sue McConnel.
“The cadets did a tremendous job of arguing their cases,” said Mr Davies.
“Most of them are looking to join the armed forces at some point and speaking in public to argue for a course of action, based on the facts available, is something they will find useful in many contexts.
“It was difficult to pick a winning side when everyone had put in so much effort and it made a nice change to be judging a debate rather than taking part.”
The winning cadet team was to be taken to London on a tour of Parliament by Mr Davies but everyone did so well he extended an invitation to all of the debating cadets.
ACF instructor Andy Fenner added: "This was a great event. The cadets really got into it, researching the topics and making sure they knew what they were talking about.
"We are always trying to give our cadets more challenges and it's great to have a local MP who is so supportive."